Located on the Debary Bayou, Gemini Springs is a large (210 acre) park great for a cool afternoon stroll in winter. In summer? Still a nice place to visit but there is no swimming allowed so it can be plenty hot.
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The past owner of the property built an earthen dam beyond the springs to create this several acre swimming "pool."
The spring and Bayou lead into Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River
(above and below).
Both of the small springs that emerge here are low flow due to low rainfall but that might change as the current mature El Niño is forecast to bring this area a wet winter.
Below, another view of the boil above from across the pool.
What is special about this place is that it has preserved most of the native flora even though it is surrounded by some of the most intense development in the South. I-4 is only a short distance to the south of the spring.
Below, the earthen dam that holds back the spring flow creating a pool of several acres, surrounded by ancient live oaks and towering sabal palms.
The park is quiet most afternoons, a great place for a power walk or contemplation.
A forest of live oaks and the low winter sun, below.
A small flood gate allows spring water to flow from the pool into the Bayou. I'm not sure what the significance is of this detail by the flood gate though I assume it was meant to resemble Native American tools.
Ancient Live Oaks (Quercus virginiana) and Sabal Palms (Sabal palmetto)
A large lawn where the last owners lived is available for picnics (above) and the spring-to-spring trail passes to the east and north of the park.
The swimming area is contaminated with high levels of fecal coliform presumably from nearby residential areas' septic tanks and/or from cattle grazing that took place on the property for many years. Either way the swimming area has been closed since 2000 because of high bacteria levels and therefore there is no charge for admittance into the park.
I love all of the trails that lead between the Spring-to-Spring trail and Gemini Spring through a dense Hammock Forest of Live Oaks and other native flora.
Overlooking the pool is a large gazebo for picnics and this deck (below) with a live oak shading the entire area.
. . .and lots of no swimming signs everywhere. . .
you won't see any manatee here because of the dam nor will you see alligators in great numbers, but there are abundant birds and plants to observe.
We've Read and Watched:
The Greenland ice sheet has become one of the main contributors to global sea level rise, predominantly through increased meltwater runoff. What is causing this?
